In the Sunlight
by Skye Highwind
Summary: The Black Wings have risen once again to revive the Black Mage. But this time, there are no heroes, no legends of Maple World. In the midst of this, one unfortunate group of Adventurers find themselves caught within the mess – and the most unlikely heroes rise up above all. Heroes are dead AU. OC-fic. Graphic(?) violence in the future.
1. Prologue: The End

Maple World - a mystery in itself. A world filled with monsters, horrors, and yet, of people so pure and clear, of beliefs held steadfast. Maple World has many creatures living on it, and as of right now, the world is thrown into chaos. Fires spread through the world, the night sky dark without any sort of light… Nothing but chaos was evident in Maple World. Yet, who could have done it?

If you asked anyone, they would stare with fearful eyes. This world was far from safe, nowadays, but even though, there were people that could overcome that. People, who seemed like heroes.

A rag-tag group of people from all walks of life, and yet, they worked together so perfectly. Led by the Dragon Master, Freud, there were five other heroes. Phantom, the Master Thief; Luminous, the Light Magician; Mercedes, the Elven Queen; and Aran, the Combo Master. The sixth one, however… his name has been forgotten, lost to the sands of time.

Our story begins at the final battle - in the intricate Temple of Time, razed by fire and by darkness. The once white maze has since been covered in dark shadows and evil energy…

"Aran!" came a shout as the warrior dropped to one knee. A quick glance around confirmed that right now, there were only two. A woman with long white hair - the warrior Aran, and a man clothed in intricate white and gold, with the oddest purple eyes - Phantom.

A few quick steps brought the blond man next to her side, glancing over the woman's injuries. While none of them were fatal, it was the exhaustion that affected both of them more than any of their real wounds.

Phantom looked up and around to see Freud, running towards them. He turned his head again and found Queen Mercedes, slumped against a pillar. The fight was turning sour, but he assumed that with Freud's reappearance, the man was finished with his work.

"Phantom!" came the brown haired man's voice. "We're almost done. Luminous is finishing up right now, and Eunwol is fending off the others. We have to leave!" He seemed disheveled, and there was a note of panic in his voice.

The blond thief looked around at the disaster around him. The monsters were already bleeding out on the floor, and the whole area was a disaster. Through the open doors, he saw Luminous' light flashing and Eunwol's strikes. And in that moment, he knew he had to make a decision. His eyes kept watching the battle, and his breath hitched as they were knocked away.

"Get Luminous and Eunwol out of there," he said, slowly standing up. "They won't last long… Not with the approaching danger."

Freud looked alarmed. "Phantom, you can't think of fighting the Black Mage by yourself…! That's suicide! Think that through!"

The thief looked towards the open doors. "Sorry, Freud. I already have, and… You all deserve so much more than I do. I can't let you sacrifice your lives now. Not after everything you've done for me." He gripped his cane with a tired hand. His eyes were set firmly.

The mage frowned. "I can't change your mind…" The brown haired man kneeled down to Aran's side, and healed the warrior of her exhaustion. "I'm not letting you go alone. Take Aran with you."

Aran stood up next to the thin man, patting his shoulder. "We can't let you go alone, Phantom. As your friend… we can't let you go." She held her polearm in her hand, and started off.

Phantom glanced backwards at Freud, before he followed after her.

As they entered the chamber, Phantom pulled his hat down to cover his eyes. His eyes glowed purple and he looked at the figures. Blue for Eunwol, Red for the Black Mage and… Phantom's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Luminous was outlined by a purple color, with hints of red in it. He clenched his cane - something had already happened.

"Luminous! Eunwol!" Aran spoke loudly. "Get out of here! Phantom and I will handle this."

Luminous gave the warrior an odd look, but Eunwol cut in before he could say anything. "Thank you, Aran. I will be back later, to come back for you. I hope you will still be alive when I do," the black haired man said. He pulled Luminous out of the room.

Phantom breathed. "Aran, I'll support you. Please, be careful…" A few words muttered under his breath gave both of them protection. His eyes flickered back to normal.

He watched the female warrior charge towards the cloaked magician, and he prepared to protect Aran… A chill ran up his spine as he heard a thud. The doors had closed.

Phantom mumbled quietly, cards forming around him. They shot towards the figure of the Black Mage, and he charged to the cloaked figure. His cane collided with him at the same time that his cards did, and he flipped backwards to land back on his feet. He looked over to see how Aran was doing, and realized something.

He followed the light across the ceiling and peered at the glyph under the Black Mage. A seal… Freud and Luminous were planning on sealing him away! He wracked his brain and started chanting. Phantom stumbled over some of the elven words, but he continued. The glyph appeared below him as well, and Aran glanced over at him, before she began fighting again.

He heard something hit the ground hard, and he flinched, stuttering slightly when he heard the large weapon clatter on the ground. His words were getting faster and faster. The dark pressure on him got heavier and heavier, and he was crumpling to the ground.

The blond felt as though he was being poisoned - the air was heavy and hard to breath and he felt himself clenching at his cane. He barely managed to get out the last word, before he collapsed on the ground. The man watched the chains envelop around the Black Mage, and as they did, his air depleted faster, and faster.

When Eunwol came back for them… All he would find is Phantom, crumpled on the ground and unmoving, and Aran, dried with blood. He would take up both of them, and end up giving them what they deserved - to be buried.

"That leaves Luminous and I," Eunwol mumbled tiredly. The first signs of frost began to show on his arms, but he covered both of the heroes, and sat down against the tree next to their graves. "I hope he's doing fine…"

It would be minutes before the ice could fully cover him and leave him to be frozen until the time came. And it would be centuries before he would be awakened - and, forgotten.


	2. Chapter 1: Beginnings

**Chapter 1: Beginnings**  
**Word Count:** 3199

**Warnings:** OC-fic, Heroes are dead AU.

There are way too many OCs in this fic, but mmn.

* * *

"Ey, hurry up!" a woman's voice called over the explosions. "We have to get him before the next group comes in!"

The woman in question was a magician - an arch mage, from her stature. She had brown hair, tied back into a ponytail, and bright green eyes. With every swipe of her staff, blasts of ice came out. Close to her side was a long, orange haired thief with a pair of goggles covering his eyes. He gave a grin at the behemoth before a flick of his wrist lodged stars into his arms. The monster roared in pain, and his arms flailed in the air.

The warrior at the front jumped back and glared. "Watch it, Tales!" She shouted to the orange haired man.

"My sincere apologies, Miss Skylar Renalia, but aiming isn't a luxury we have!" The man yelled.

A blast of ice hit the statue. "Shut up and kill Zakum already! Some of us don't have all day," came the reply from a black haired archer.

"Kain's right, you know." A red haired man - a Battle Mage - spoke.

"Analiiise! They're picking on me!" The orange haired man - Silas Tales - whined.

"Silas, just do your job." Analise, the mage, rolled her eyes.

Silas huffed, "Heartless," but continued to sling stars at Zakum's face.

Before long, the statue crumbled into dust, and everyone stood up. Silas glanced around before he found Kain, the marksman from earlier. He grinned and pulled on the man's scarf. He heard a curse from the black haired man before the other turned around.

"The hell, Silas?" he questioned, his glasses slightly disheveled. He raised a gloved hand to fix them quickly. He fixed his scarf while he was at it.

"Might as well head home now," Silas remarked, looking over the remains of the statue. "It's a damn long walk back to Ellinia, but Analise and I'll make it. Eventually."

Ah yes. Silas Tales and Analise Sage - notoriously known for being cunning and smart respectively. Best friends since practically birth, and doing everything together. Even living together, at this point. Not that it was an issue to either of them, really. Romantic interests were but a ghost story in their lives, one with two younger brothers to fret over, and another with… well, everyone else.

"Then fly. Ship fare isn't expensive for us," Kain commented offhandedly, peering down at his crossbow. After inspecting it for a few minutes, he made it disappear. "Ellinia isn't a long fly from El Nath."

"But taking the ship is so easy. Why fly when we could help out younger guys by walking?" he hummed, twirling a steely on his finger. "That's just boring, kid."

Kain rolled his eyes. "Then you can go whine to Analise. I, like everyone else, am going home. I've got phone calls to make." He started to walk off. Seconds later, he looked back. "Try buying a house in El Nath. It's nice."

Silas looked at his retreating back and shook his head. Kain was so… difficult, sometimes. He'd lived with it all his life, and he would never get used to it. How do you get used to a man - barely, too - who's around your level and four years younger? He spotted his brunette friend, however, and he bounded over to her. "Ey, Analise!" he called in a sing-song voice. "Wanna fly home? On the ship?" He grinned innocently.

Analise blinked at him, before she laughed lightly. "Whatever you say, Silas. Whatever you say." The two locked arms and walked away, out of the crypt.

On their way out, they passed the next group coming in, and Silas peered curiously. There was a thief - lanky, about the same height as him - at the helm. He had blond hair, and… familiar coal colored eyes. The orange haired man frowned slightly, but didn't say a word.

When the duo emerged from the cave, a blizzard was raging. Silas fumbled in his bag and pulled out two return scrolls. He passed one to Analise before pulling his own open. The thief closed his eyes and felt a rush of air.

As he opened his eyes, he found himself in El Nath. A quick glance to his right showed Analise's face, and the left showed… Kain's cottage. How convenient, but not what they needed.

Kain shook his head from inside the house. He had changed out of his normal attire, and into something more comfortable. He peered through the window at Silas and Analise, but turned back to his screen.

"What's up, Kain?" A light voice asked curiously. It belonged to a man - well, one that looked more like a teenager. He had tanned skin with metallic blue hair and dark blue eyes. "Somethin' going on outside?" Kain could see the sunlight streaming through the man's window.

"Nothin', Quinn. Just Analise and an idiot." Kain rolled his eyes. He could hear Quinn's laughter.

"That's not nice t'say, Kain. He's your cousin," Quinn lightly reprimanded, but there was a smile on his face.

Kain opened his eyes to say something, but the creak of a door interrupted him. He watched Quinn turn his head curiously, but a bright smile shone on his face.

"Hey, Rif!" the blue haired boy called, still facing away. "Just in time! I'm talking to Kain."

"Kain?" came the distant voice, before there were footsteps. Within seconds, a teenager with black hair and green eyes looked through the screen. A smile emerged on the black haired boy's face. "Hey, Kain! Did'ya just see my sis? She's doing fine, right?"

Kain tried not to smile at the both of them. They were so similar, and yet, both came from different walks of life. "Yeah, I saw Analise. She's doin' fine. Was pretty damn good at what she did." At those words, he saw Rifiru beam.

"That's great! I haven't seen her in awhile. Hope I get to see her soon." There was a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Kain sighed, giving Rifiru a reassuring smile. "Don't you worry about that. I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other soon."

Quinn opened his mouth to say something, but a message beeped on Kain's screen, and the black haired marksman frowned.

"Getting another call?" asked Quinn, tilting his head.

The elder sighed again, shaking his head. "Yeah. It's from Athena too. I should answer it."

Quinn blinked, and then he had a look of surprise. "She's calling you about it already-? Yeah, I told her to call you if anything got worse but…" the other archer looked nervous. "Good luck, man. Call us later."

Kain raised a hand in farewell, before he cut off the call and answered Athena's message. His teacher wasn't one for video calls, so he pulled the wristwatch up to his mouth.

"Kain?" came the smooth and light voice of Athena Pierce. "There's an issue… in Edelstein. Do you think you can get here quickly?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Edelstein? Thought they hated us."

"Yes, normally our interactions with them are not… good, but this time, it seems as though they do need our help."

Kain nodded, before he realized she couldn't see him. "I'll be there as fast as I can. Don't worry."

"Thank you, Kain, and I'm sorry to bother you."

Kain sighed. "Not at all. I wasn't doing anything important anyway…"

Athena hung up the phone, and the man stood up from where he was sitting. Something in Edelstein… he had to wear normal clothes then. Edelstein was crawling with Adventurer-phobic people, and he didn't want to make this harder than it needed to be. It was a quick trip to his closet and he frowned, contemplating. Edelstein was a warm town - sunlight shone down on it almost every day. He didn't like heat, or being overheated, so he would have to dress light… Even if it was the middle of winter.

He always liked the cold. After becoming a Sniper, ice magic had been transferred to his soul. Since, he had always had an affinity for the cold - just as Quinn had an affinity with fire.

The archer shrugged off the ornate coat he had worn out to fight Zakum, and rehung it on a hanger. He pulled out a blue jacket and slipped it on over his black shirt. He looked down at his black pants and contemplated changing, but he shrugged and walked towards the desk in the room. With a light hand, he plucked off a ring of keys, and a black wallet.

Kain pulled his watch from the coffee table and strapped it on his arm, before he stepped into his shoes and wrapped the scarf around his neck. And then, he walked out into the outside.

He glanced around. The blizzard had subsided a bit, and he moved to the side of the house. Nesting next to the house was a large white and blue bird. Kain pressed his gloved hand on the bird's face.

"Ey, Frostprey," he murmured softly. "Y'okay to fly? We've got a place to go and I've got to hurry."

He watched the bird ruffle his feathers a bit and Kain took that as the permission to get onto him. It was quick - he slid onto the animal's back and gently patted the side of his neck. And then, they took flight through the snow. It didn't bother either of them, honestly. They had lived in El Nath for so long, and had the frost running through their veins… Ice was their element.

Kain made an effort not to look at the ground while they were over the water. While he had the utmost trust within his summon, the idea of falling into the ocean was a bit … unfortunate, and he would rather not stress Frostprey.

However, his concerns weren't for long. Soon, their feet touched down onto Henesian ground. They landed next to Athena's house, and as soon as Kain got off the bird, he ushered it to return back to the spirit realm. When the bird disappeared, Kain let out a breath and opened the door to the house.

And promptly deadpanned when he was faced with a grinning night lord.

"Kain, welcome to the party!" came Silas' bright voice, the orange haired man stepping away to let him in.

The black haired archer promptly ignored him and glanced around, scanning over the faces. A red haired battle mage - Sin, a good friend of his - and a female dark knight with tanned skin. He gave her a slight smile, getting a nod in return.

He faced the lithe woman at the front, giving a low bow to her in respect. He wouldn't ever be seen bowing that low to … well, anyone, but this was his instructor, Athena. She had guided him for years.

"Kain, it's good to see you," Athena said with her light voice. "I'll keep this short, because I don't want to hold you here."

She placed her bow down on the rack behind her desk, turning back to face them. She rested her hands on the back of her chair.

"As you've heard, Edelstein has been in recent trouble." She sighed. "Despite our differences, they've requested our help to investigate Black Wings influence. While this is only a check, if your reports are bad enough, we may have to take action." At this, they frowned.

"Skylar, Kain and Silas." The three of them straightened up. "You three were chosen because you are trustworthy and capable," she spoke, glancing at Kain with pride in her eyes. "Sinclair." Her eyes looked at the redhaired man. "You are going because you know the area. Guide them well."

Sinclair nodded, a hand over his heart. "Yes ma'am!"

Athena turned to the window. "This should only take you a few days at most. Be cautious, as we do not know the Black Wings' capabilities. Dismissed."

She heard the door close behind them, and frowned. "Why do I feel like something is going to go wrong…"

A few hours later

"I hate this place," muttered Kain, glaring at a child.

"You only hate it because it's so cheery," Sinclair chided, "Which you aren't."

Kain opened his mouth to say something in retort, but he was elbowed in the side by Silas, who inclined his head to the nearby man dressed in black. While they didn't appear very different - all of them had taken care to dress simplistically, their mannerisms didn't fit the atmosphere of the joy-filled town. Especially not Kain's.

"We should leave," Silas decided lightly, glancing around, before taking Skylar's arm in his and walking forward. Sinclair looked around and smiled at a civilian, before pulling the other man along.

Kain made sure to look around the town. He had visited it before, but it was always so bright and warm, and he hated warm, but … Quinn and Rifiru had managed to drag him along whenever they wanted to visit Sinclair, and he had to admit that Edelstein's food wasn't a complete travesty.

He still hated the place though.

He watched as Sils and Skylar disappear into an ally, before he himself was dragged along. There was a feeling of familiar teleportation, before he blinked his eyes and …

Well. This was a scene change. Around him was a dark meeting room. He knew the Resistance was still living strong, but he didn't think it was this official… He looked around and found some key figures - Brighton, who Sinclair talked about incessantly (mostly because he was the red haired man's teacher, but…) and Belle, who most archers complained about on a regular basis…

He watched his friend walk over to the brown haired man in question, a bit taller than him, but thinner as well.

"What's wrong?" Sinclair asked, looking around. "The town seemed fine when we walked in… Except the Black Wings, but…" He frowned, crossing his arms. "Are they causing trouble? I only saw the lazy ones around."

Brighton sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's complicated. While the town is rather unchanged, it's the mines we're worried about. There have been more people coming through, heading to the mines, and they don't look like adventurers. And hell, they're definitely not any Resistance members."

"We could sneak in, but that's…" Sinclair sighed. "That's risky. And we only have one thief…" His eyes go to the orange haired Silas, who is animatedly talking to Skylar and Checky. His bright cyan eyes are wide, and he's looking at some sort of machinery …

Kain looked away from the conversation to spot the orange haired archer, leisurely standing next to a panther. And when their eyes met, she smirked at him, walking over.

"You're an archer," she commented lazily while looking at his armguard.

"You're Belle," he replied plainly in return.

"Indeed I am," she said casually, flicking her hair out of her face. "So, which one are you? Lute? Matthew? Angela?" She hummed lightly, looking over him.

He sighed, adjusting his glasses. Lute Yune, Matthew Argois and Angela Sanishe were all renowned archers, although they had long since stopped fighting monsters in favor of relaxing. Something about no longer having a meaning to them … He had met all of them, and while they certainly were powerful and had very good tips, he couldn't care less about them.

"None of them. Kain Lioxeno is my name." Kain frowned, adjusting his glasses. "Know all of them though."

"Oh, that Kain. The one Sin always talks about. You're a bit … underwhelming," she commented on his appearance.

"We're in Edelstein. I'm not going to wear my standard clothes here," the black haired man scoffed. "I'd rather not get arrested."

She laughed, rather boisterously compared to some of the other instructors he's met … "I like you, kid. Good luck with whatever y'gotta do."

He watched her walk away and he ran a hand through his hair. He could see why most archers disliked the wild hunters …

Overwhelming, to say the least.

Sinclair walked closer and Kain raised his eyes to look at him. From the corner of his eye, he could see Silas and Skylar walk over as well.

"I see you met Belle, right?" Sin said with a sheepish grin. "Sorry if she's a bit …"

Kain shook his head. "Don't worry about it. What did Brighton say?" He glanced over to his side, and saw that Silas was … strangely serious. Huh.

"He said there's no other way to find out unless we have someone sneak in, but…" his red eyes look over at Silas. "I'm not comfortable with sending you in alone."

Silas laughed a little. "Don't you worry 'bout me. I'm a thief. This is my job." He seemed confident about it, and maybe a bit careless, but Kain read into his expression. Underneath his cheerful demeanor, he could see that his older cousin's hands were tense, and his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

This was the first time when it actually mattered, wasn't it? Silas had always done it as a child, but … infiltrating the enemy by himself …

He had always had his brothers or his friends with him.

"If you're sure …" Sin's voice didn't seem too sure.

"I'll be alright. Just, y'know, make sure to stay far away." Silas grinned at them. "Don't want you all to get caught."

Kain thought he was being ridiculous, but he'd let Silas try and gain his confidence. Because hell, this was the most important time he'd need it.

The three watched Silas leave, and Kain's ears picked up a stray comment.

"Don't die out there, kid." Kain glanced around and saw the brown haired, masked woman - Claudine.

The black haired man frowned at himself, hoping he would be alright …

Silas had ducked into a house to change briefly into something more comfortable to move in - a thin, black and loose outfit with gold trimming. He took a deep breath and turned himself invisible to escape the town. He carefully ran past the Black Wings in town, before drawing closer to the mines. When he drew near the gate, he quickly dispatched the guard and stole his card key.

Sliding the card in the scanner, Silas slipped inside. He ducked into a shadow and eyed the area. Barely guarded, and he couldn't really see any sort of individual… well, any individual higher than a grunt.

With a silent sigh, the orange haired man pressed on. Sneaking in the shadows, he searched for a computer to check. He waited for people to pass before he sprinted out and typed on the computer. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he scanned through files and folders …

"Experimentation…?" Silas mumbled, a frown set on his face. "A girl named Orca, and a boy named Suu… And twin transcendents?" He shook his head, quickly sending out files and deleting them. "This is insane…"

Within his work, he failed to realize someone walking behind him. And when he finally did - it was too late. There was a pain within his skull, and he crumpled to the ground unconscious.

e was a pain within his skull, and he crumpled to the ground unconscious./p


End file.
